freight charges. They argued over which evidence would survive an unfriendly question and which might persuade only those who already wanted to believe her. Gradually they learned to distinguish between defending Jonathan as a man they loved and proving the specific things Harrow had done. The second task was colder, harder, and necessary.
The largest obstacle remained the bank's original register. With the cooper's statement and the conflicting receipts, Dunleavy obtained an order requiring the bank to present the relevant entries to a magistrate for inspection. The order did not declare anyone guilty, nor did it give Clara the right to enter Harrow's private office. It did, however, prevent the bank from quietly destroying or altering the records. The hearing was fixed for the morning after the Winter Relief Assembly. Harrow, perhaps counting on that delay, announced that his proposed settlement would be accepted by the trustees at the ball itself.
The proposal was a trap disguised as compassion. Harrow would contribute a sum from his own purse to restart the widows' allowances, and in exchange the trustees would acknowledge Jonathan's alleged misappropriation and assign the Ellison warehouse to Harrow's creditors. Its value was greater than the promised contribution. If the signatures were collected before the hearing, the public would remember the father's guilt and the daughter's surrender, regardless of what a judge later concluded. Clara could not let that happen, but arriving at a crowded party with a collection of papers did not guarantee anyone would read them.
Miriam suggested bringing the widows who had a right to know how their fund was being managed. Dunleavy invited Captain Pike and two former trustees who had resigned rather than approve Harrow's statements. Julian asked the chief cashier to attend as a guest, explaining that no confidential records would be disclosed without the court's permission but that a witness to ordinary banking practice could still identify what a legitimate receipt should contain. Clara invited her father's former warehouse clerk, Mrs. Finch, who had kept the daily cargo books and could recognize fabricated deliveries. She did not ask these people to swear loyalty to her. She asked them to bring what they knew.
On the afternoon of the assembly, Clara stood before her bedroom mirror while Miriam fastened the red gown at her shoulders. The silk was two years old, and its hem had been carefully let down to hide a worn edge. Her